As we near the end of the 2018 Year of the Bird celebration that commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the famed Migratory Bird Treaty and its implementing legislation in the U.S. and Canada, it is well that we think of the future of a bird like the Pine Siskin whose populations know no human political Read More
Year of the Bird
2018 marked the 100-year anniversary of the signing of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). It’s because of this treaty that many bird species—including some for which Maine is well known—are still with us rather than disappearing from the earth forever. In honor of this anniversary, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, along with a large coalition of other groups including the National Geographic Society, Birdlife International, the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and others declared 2018 to be the Year of the Bird. In celebration of this conservation success story, and to put the spotlight on the importance of initiatives such as these, birders Jeff and Allison Wells posted each month during the “Year of the Bird.”
A “Winter Finch” Holiday for Birders
For birders, especially those of us here in Maine and the eastern U.S., a holiday of sorts is fast approaching. Bird enthusiasts anticipate it the way many youngsters look forward to Christmas morning. But this fine-feathered special occasion takes place just once every two years or so. Staffers at the Natural Resources Council of Maine Read More
Squirrel Booms and Passenger Pigeons in the Year of the Bird
A time of abundance is often an opportunity to reflect, especially during the Year of the Bird, a special name given to 2018 in celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the signing of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that has helped keep many bird species from becoming extinct. This month, we’re putting the spotlight on Read More
Postcard from Vienna, Austria in the Year of the Bird
Since Jeff has just returned from a conference abroad, we decided to share his experience and perspective with readers of our column. Members of the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) have seen firsthand the power of working with like-minded allies. The recently completed Penobscot River Restoration Project is a great example. NRCM, a founding member Read More
To Brazil and Back: Nighthawk Migration Revealed
Birders in Maine have recently begun noting the first pulses of southbound, migrating Common Nighthawks. In fact, staff at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) could very well see one while leaving the office in Augusta after a long day! Based on checklists submitted to eBird, the online database housed at our old stomping Read More
Yellowlegs and the Year of the Bird
The fact that we can hear the calls of yellowlegs echoing around our favorite cove here in Maine as the tide recedes on a warm, late-summer evening is thanks to the forethought and persistence of bird enthusiasts a hundred years ago. They ushered through the Migratory Bird Treaty, and then the legislation to enact it in the Read More
Long Journeys for Conservation
In the Year of the Bird, as the Natural Resources Council of Maine joins other groups in celebrating 100 years since the signing of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, it is exciting to know that some of the biggest players in bird conservation today are not necessarily ones many bird enthusiasts know or recognize. A Read More
Fur, Feathers, and Other Bird Nest Treasures
Our cats love to be groomed. This is a very good thing, especially this time of year when they both are shedding profusely. We, too, find it a satisfying experience: better to catch that fur with a comb than to see it plastered on the furniture and tumbling in clumps across the floor like tumbleweeds. Read More
Last of Their Kind in the Year of the Bird
Like many of you, we mourned the loss of the last male northern white rhino on Earth. His name was Sudan. Though he was named for the country where he was born, Sudan had spent most of his life in a zoo in the Czech Republic. While Sudan lived out his life thousands of miles Read More
